One in three private tenants ‘faces eviction if they complain’

Private tenants are putting up with major defects such as damp, faulty boilers and serious disrepair for fear of being evicted if they dare to complain, it was claimed today.

A survey reveals that one in three tenants has been evicted or threatened with eviction after complaining to their landlord.

Fear of eviction and a desperate shortage of properties available for rent has resulted in more than 70 per cent of tenants paying for repairs themselves. The survey, by online community The Tenants’ Voice, identified the threat of “retaliatory evictions” — when landlords will throw out a tenant rather than undertake requested repairs.

Six in 10 of those questioned said they had asked their landlords to make essential repairs, but found they had been difficult or had flatly refused to sort the problem out.

In one in three cases, this included repairs to faulty boilers, which can be extremely dangerous if not fixed.

Glenn Nickols, director of The Tenants’ Voice, said: “While 86 per cent of tenants have never heard of ‘retaliatory evictions’ as such, a third of the tenants we surveyed had either been evicted or threatened with eviction after complaining.

“Landlords have a responsibility to ensure that the property they are renting is fit for purpose, and that means ensuring that any reasonable requests that are made by their tenants are dealt with promptly.”

Karen Jones, 47, editor of CityWealth financial and lifestyle magazine, claimed she has had to leave her home after complaining about flooding. She has been renting her one-bed mews house from the Portman Estate, paying £2,383 a month for the property just north of Marble Arch.

But in September a blocked drain flooded it with waste water.

She said: “The floodwater came in upstairs and caused severe damage.

“It was an absolute nightmare trying to deal with 10 to 15 workmen coming in and out for weeks on end when I was trying to work.

“When I complained to Portman, they replied saying, ‘We’ve done all we can, here is a credit for £800 but now we won’t renew your tenancy’. It has wasted weeks of my time and energy and I found Portman very difficult to deal with.”

A Portman Estate spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately a water leak caused Ms Jones inconvenience in her final month at the property.

“We immediately set about rectifying the damage, have given Ms Jones compensation and allowed her to stay in the property for a further two months.”